Kids Menu

     As we read further into One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I find myself continuously empathizing with the characters. After making that statement, I would like to clarify that I do not currently suffer from any mental and/or emotional disorders. Throughout the course of the novel, all of the patients at the institution are treated like babies, and looked down upon. The way in which Nurse Ratched talks to them greatly resembles the way in which my mother talked to me...before I knew how to walk. I feel as if teenagers, including myself, often encounter such treatment when they venture to various public places such as the mall, or a restaurant.
        Just because 89% of teenagers in America are friends with an individual who they know shoplifts, it does NOT mean I am a shoplifter. At the mall last weekend, a Dillards employee followed me around the entire store, leaving my side when I walked out the department store doors. Yes, I could see this woman staring at me through a rack of jeans.My mother sent me off to the mall as a fully capable 17 year old. Why did this women feel the need to follow me around Dillards? I do not think my black northface jacket and a pair of jeans elicited a suspicious look. Though some of the patients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest suffer from severe mental/emotional disorders, the Acutes and McMurphy seem perfectly capable of carrying out normal daily functions without blowing up the ward. Yet, they are monitored while brushing their teeth? Like these patients, teenagers, in particular me at Dillards, deal with many unreasonable people and unjust situations.
       Along with being stalked by a Dillards employee for an hour, I experienced a situation similar to the patients in the ward on vacation last summer. The waitress at dinner brought me a kids menu. I was 17 years old at the time, and last time I checked I do not look like a 12 and under. Then, she proceeded to call me "honey" for the duration of the meal, and brought me a drink in a kiddy cup. She also asked me if I wanted a refill, and then checked with my mom to see if it was alright. (sidenote: this woman looked to be in her mid- twenties, just a few years older than I) I was mildly embarassed, and felt a bit degraded after going for dinner at that resturant. Therefore, I can empathize with the patients, as Nurse Ratched treats them like children. She speaks down to them as this waitress did to me. I noticed a drop in my self- esteem after that night.I am sure that Nurse Ratched is not doing the patients any favors by treating them like petulant children. I hope to never experience a similar situation. Likewise, I am sure some of the patients feel disrespected by Nurse Ratched's condescending manner.

Apparently the Dillards employee percieved me as this kind of person...